The staff of the University Library has won the highest national service award sponsored by the Association of College and Research Libraries and Blackwell's Book Services.
The "Excellence in Academic Libraries Award," given for "exemplary services and resources to further the educational mission of the institution," will be formally presented at the Mary and David Harrison Institute for American Literature, History and Culture and the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library later this spring.
Library staff members at the University said they are proud of this special recognition.
"We try to work with all of our users to provide above and beyond services in terms of reference help," Education Library Reserve Specialist Jane Walker said.
Matt Ball, University library coordinator of outreach and public services, worked at the Emory and Harvard University libraries before joining the staff at the University.
Ball said he notices a significant difference in the attitude that the University library staff takes in helping its users.
"This library takes a very proactive approach in customer service and is definitely more service oriented," Ball said.
The University Library system was also recognized for its exemplary and innovative programs and services, said Charlotte Morford, University Library director of communication.
"The earliest and most popular example would be the Alderman Café," Morford said. "We are the first in serving coffee right inside the library."
Morford also said the creation of Library Express Online, a service that allows faculty to request materials to be delivered to their offices or to their e-mail inboxes, is a service other universities are trying to implement.
The University Library system continually strives to improve its services by directly involving students and faculty, Morford said.
"Getting longer hours in the Brown Science and Engineering Library came directly out from the students," Morford said. "We are always delighted in finding more students who would like to join the students committee in telling us they need and want."
The students' committee is comprised of 12 members and provides the University libraries with feedback on their services. A similar committee comprised of faculty members offers feedback to the libraries from a faculty perspective.
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